


The Balm That Soothes

by BlueEyedArcher



Category: Far Cry 4
Genre: Bees, Caretaking, Don't Fuck With The Bees, Flirting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-04-25 08:58:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14375412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueEyedArcher/pseuds/BlueEyedArcher
Summary: He thought nothing of it, just another routine clearing, done with a little extra care not to set the tigers free and be mauled. As the blood pounded in his head, he heard something like static in his thoughts, then a searing stinging pain assaulted his senses. Working through the adrenaline that coursed through his veins, his skin was lit ablaze as the humming static suddenly made sense. A swarm of bees had been nestled into the side of that building, the arrow pierced their nest, setting them off to attack him as the offending predator. Their big fat angry bodies latching onto him, stingers piercing his skin like needles as they vibrated and hummed, biting into him, drawing blood. Hundreds, swarming underneath his clothing. He opened his mouth to scream, his hands swatting at the vicious little creatures as he fled, feeling their little legs crawling across his body.---------------------------------------------Ajay finds that the simple task of taking care of an outpost is made much harder when it has killer bee nests all around. Luckily, Sabal knows a few tricks to ease the stinging pain his counterpart has been subjected to.





	The Balm That Soothes

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first Far Cry fic, but i love Far Cry 4 very much and above that, I love Ajay and Sabal very much and after a very ridiculous attempt to take an outpost in the southern part of Kyrat ended with me covered in bees, I felt the sudden urge to write a fic about it. I really hope this is satisfactory as it is my first time writing with these characters. I've been binge playing FC4 all over again since the announcement of FC5. (I was kind of disappointed in FC5 and wanted my Ajay and Sabal back so...) Here it is. Enjoy!
> 
> Please leave a comment down below on what you think. 
> 
> Side note: Also, the signs/symptoms and affects of the killer bee attack have been researched and are as accurate as I could possibly make it.

It started out as nothing, only the loud explosions of gun fire and the soaring hiss of flaming arrows. There were the roars of the tigers, enticed by the newly shed blood, beating against the rotting shells of their cages to be freed and join in on the chaos. Ajay’s heart was hammering loudly in his ears, everything else was a blur. A white out of sound and sensations, mixing together. The cold of the mountain air nipping at the sweat on the back of his neck from the run down the cliff slope and the last half hour of crouching he'd done to scope it out, taking out the only alarm in the southern breeder station. He had been so narrowed in with his sights, his bow gripped firmly in his hand as he drew back another arrow and watched it sink into the neck of the final hunter. The body dropping to the ground beside the tiger’s cage. But not before their arrow was let loose. It hit above him, nestled into the crook of the old wood outpost.

 

He thought nothing of it, just another routine clearing, done with a little extra care not to set the tigers free and be mauled. As the blood pounded in his head, he heard something like static in his thoughts, then a searing stinging pain assaulted his senses. Working through the adrenaline that coursed through his veins, his skin was lit ablaze as the humming static suddenly made sense. A swarm of bees had been nestled into the side of that building, the arrow pierced their nest, setting them off to attack him as the offending predator. Their big fat angry bodies latching onto him, stingers piercing his skin like needles as they vibrated and hummed, biting into him, drawing blood. Hundreds, swarming underneath his clothing. He opened his mouth to scream, his hands swatting at the vicious little creatures as he fled, feeling their little legs crawling across his body.

 

He could hear the distant rumble of the Golden Path trucks already rolling in to secure the outpost but the blue vehicles were a blur, the sound of horns honking as he darted towards the water’s edges nearby. He took a quick breath, diving off the edge of the dock into the chilling depths of the water. The bees seemed to forget about attacking him once he was submerged, their little legs no longer felt on his skin, the burning pain soothed only briefly by the chill before a new pain struck him. Like icy daggers jabbing into his body, little needles all over the place. His lungs burned as he forced his way back up to the surface, he quickly realized a new fear as he had trouble deciphering which way was up. He struggled in the water until something gripped him from the back of his jacket, tugging him in the opposite direction.

 

He felt hands on his bicep as his body was dragged up onto the edge of the dock. His vision blurred as he struggled to breath even now when he was above the surface. He was gasping, choking for air. The sharp little wheezes had radios crackling and voices shouting all around him. He couldn’t focus on who was speaking or the faces around him as they dragged him further across the ground. There was screaming in the distance, agonizing and broken. It wasn’t until a hand covered over his mouth to quiet him that he realized where it was coming from. The roar of the tigers in their cages sounded far too close for comfort, breaking through  the dizziness and chaos rushing around in his mind as he was moved. His vision faded in and out, his chest heaving, working hard to draw in each breath.

 

His consciousness faded in and out as well, the time between actions was absent. The cold mountain air curling around his body with the sun peaking through the spotty cloud coverage above, then the next minute he was lying on the bed in the communal building, his clothes being taken from him as quickly as possible. Their were hands all over his body, digging out the bee stingers as quickly as they could to remove the venom from their barbs. He felt his stomach lurch as the room toppled over him, a hand at his face, lifting his head up enough to get at the barbs around his neck and shoulders. He groaned, gasping in another sharp breath, his chest stuttering before he managed a proper gasp. His head rolled to the side, his stomach giving another sharp pain, twisting deep inside him as he shuddered. Ajay felt himself moved over onto his side, the hands dutifully working to remove the little stingers and their venom sacks as quickly as possible.

 

His eyes were fixed on the wall, the room doing another flip flop on him as he tried to focus. There was a groan that left his chest, closing his eyes to dissuade the nausea building up inside him. There was a strong taste of blood in his mouth, at least that’s what it resembled, more specifically, it tasted like pennies, then his body went unusually still. Their seemed to be a pause of silence before he felt a sudden tremble. He didn’t know what happened next, as darkness engulfed his vision.

  


When next he awoke, he was alone in the communal house, staring up at the ceiling with a thick blanket draped over him. His limbs felt heavy, like they were weighed down with lead. His stomach still felt twisted up inside, the lead weight seemed centered there, making him groan again. His head rolling to the side as his eyes met a pair of striking emeralds, gazing back down at him with relief and concern. “Ajay! Kyra be praised.” The milky tone was a relief to his ears. He opened his mouth to speak, to greet the leader of the Golden Path, but his voice broke before it could form much sound, reducing him to raspy coughs.

 

“Here, drink this brother.” Sabal spoke up, moving to the tray beside his bed. He helped Ajay lift his head to receive the small sips of water, washing over his raw and swollen throat. Sabal helped coax small amounts at a time, so as not to overwhelm Ajay, letting him take pauses in between to work it down into his system before going for a little more. When he was content, Sabal let his head rest back against the pillow and set the cup to the side.

 

He scooted his chair a little closer to the side of the bed, close enough to take the american’s hand in his, his fingers trembling with worry as he inspected the red welts on his skin, left behind by the barbs of the bees. Ajay flinched when the finger touched over the tender skin, each mark was glossy in appearance, reflecting the dim lighting in the communal room. There was a faint herbal aroma that wisped through the air around him, informing him that a salve had been placed on the wounds. He watched Sabal’s touch become uncertain, the gentle fingers withdrawing to settle on his palm. His thumbs roughed over and calloused from work, feeling out the smoother texture of Ajay’s hands. He lucked out that his gloves kept them well protected from the bees’ attack. “I was so worried.”

 

Sabal’s soft voice barely reached Ajay’s ears, the broken sound of worry in the normally confident and sure fire tone was bizarre, stirring that sickening feeling back up in his stomach. Ajay took a slow deep breath, letting it out just the same, the dip in his chest didn’t reach fully as his raw throat and aching lungs threatened another coughing fit. “What happened?” He inquired, his voice lost its edge, foreign in his own ears. Something flitted across Sabal’s features, a look of surprise then sympathy settled in his expression, drawing the downcast gloom into the hard dips and sharp curves of his face. The shadows had settled beneath his eyes, making him look even more weary and wrung out than normal. Ajay couldn’t blame him either, given his own appearance on a good day was just as worn and faded.

 

“You were attacked by a nest of bees. The soldiers say you ran for the water to get rid of them but nearly drowned.” Sabal explained, he shifted uneasily in his seat, his focus fixed on Ajay’s palm as if he needed something to keep him steady with his words. His thumb tracking the heart lines before turning his hand over and rubbing gentle circles over his knuckles. “They pulled you out and started to remove the stingers. You had a seizure during and have been out for nearly a whole day.” Sabal reached up to touch the side of Ajay’s cheek, rough fingers ghosting over his jaw as those dark green orbs searched his expression for the answers. “How are you feeling?”

 

“Like shit.” He rasped out, giving a mirthless chuckle, it broke into another rough cough. His chest ached with that nauseous feeling twisting back up, rising higher in his stomach than before. He took a few breathes, shuddering out a sigh to calm it. “I’ve had worse.” _He has._ A nest of pissed off bees were hardly the worst he’s encountered here in Kyrat. There had been far too many close calls already, between the rampaging rhinos, the rickety bell towers and the occasional Royal Army soldier that nicks off a lucky shot. He’s been dragged around, patched up and sent on his way more times then he can even count. Though, he’d very much rather not have ‘ _Death by bees_ ’ be the subtitle to his grave stone.

 

“We had nearly lost you brother.” Sabal sighed, withdrawing his hand to return to its spot holding Ajay’s. His fingertips tracing out the back of his hand, leaving light tingling sensations that helped him focus more on them and not the dozens of aching red welts that littered his body. He was lucky the water had been so close and he had enough instinct to run for it and not towards the hillside screaming like a fool. “ _I_ had nearly lost you.” That made something inside Ajay’s chest leap and that ache in the pit of his belly became something more, something tighter and unrefined. A heat pooled out across his features, drawing a sharp breath into his chest.

 

Sabal seemed to overlook the conflict in Ajay’s features as he continued. “When I heard from the others, how your condition was, I thought this would be it.” There was a pause, as Sabal searched for the right words that appeared to elude him. His brows furrowed into sharp focus. His idle motions over Ajay’s hands ceased as silence extended out between them. Ajay hadn’t the energy to interrupt and felt himself starting to drift off again, his eyes going glossy as he gazed over at Sabal.

 

The presence was warm, comforting enough to ease his pains and help him relax into the bed, feeling secure and safe in the other’s care. It was a rarity these days, being able to let his guard down like this. To be vulnerable. He would never allow such a thing in Amita’s presence or anyone else for that matter, but Sabal’s own was a soothing balm for whatever terrors Ajay had to face each and every day. It made them that much easier when he’d return to Banapur and let himself decompress at the elder man’s side. A gentle touch to the shoulder and a few praising words would be enough to lighten his most downcast mood, kick starting him from his weary status to add a little more pep in his step. It eased the nightmares a little more as well, giving him a fleeting smile that he could cling to until his eyes would drift shut and he would use that like a shield against any of the demons that plagued his mind. The people he wouldn’t let himself think about in his waking hours, that were free to haunt him and follow him wherever they pleased in his dream state.

 

Even now, he used that presence like a cocoon to nestle himself in and eased himself down to the strings of sleep that plucked at his mind. Like a spider spinning its web, he worked his way through the waves, until the voice spoke up calling his name, pulling him back from the tides. “Ajay.” He hummed softly, his eyes taking a moment more to open, fixing their gaze on Sabal after a few slow blinks. He had never really been fond of the way the locals would pronounce his name, but Sabal spoke it like a prayer on the air. Repeating it with all the silk that he would one of his sutras in the temples, when he needs Kyra’s guidance most. It lured Ajay back to reality, cementing more of its grip on him as fingers graced over his cheek. Warm hands caressing the sides of his face, green eyes so much closer to him now.

 

It wasn’t uncomfortable in that regard, he could feel the warmth from Sabal’s body, radiating off of him and rolling over his bare skin, left exposed by the blankets. A shiver ran over him as hot breath rested against his cheek, drifting over the side to his ear. Goosebumps spread over his body, adding another layer of oddity to his welt covered form. “I want you to know how much you truly mean to me.” He spoke softly, despite that, those words echoed loudly in Ajay's ears. The room was far too silent and still. The whole world felt as if it ceased in that one moment, with his own ragged breathing and Sabal’s soft exhales, he found his heart reached a second wind, hammering hard against the inside of his rib cage. He was almost certain Sabal could hear it. His thumb rubbed gently across the rise of his cheekbone, moving up to the side of his face and feeling over the softly tinted skin where an old bruise rested. Ajay vaguely remembered taking the stock of a rifle to the face a couple days prior. An injury in which Sabal fussed over back in Banapur.

 

These hands, Ajay marveled, have seen so much strife, so much war and bloodshed. Have been the _cause_ of bloodshed, yet they could touch him so gently, so sweetly. They took care with every interaction as if he were a porcelain doll, fearing he would crumble at their tips if he was even the slightest bit too rough. Ajay didn’t feel so fragile but in this moment, he was uncertain as he gripped onto that dangling thread of lucidity, clinging tightly to see this through before submitting to the exhaustion weighing him down. There was a small shift on the edge of the bed, Sabal pressed his weight against it as he closed the distance between them.

 

Ajay was still reeling from everything else, that he very nearly tipped over the edge when their lips pressed together. Much like the way Sabal touches him, it’s gentle and careful, mindful of every movement as if he would crumble beneath it and Ajay finds that idea is almost made a reality. A sound leaves his chest, a muffled mixture between a squeak and a groan, the heat flashing up over his features almost rivals that of the blaze the bees set upon him. They slot their lips together as Sabal applies a little more pressure, testing the waters in which Ajay submits to. He craved this, for so long. He wants to drown in all that is Sabal. Pledging himself to the man was not enough, and now... _Kyra help him_ , he wanted to give his everything to the man in every sense of the word.

 

His hand lifts, slow and agonizing in the movement, every part of him aches but it’s worth it in the end as he returns the gentle caress. Smooth fingertips running along the sharp features of the other’s face, moving around to splay through the long dark locks, wishing to remove the tie that binds them up, to cascade down the other’s neck. He wanted leverage, to deepen the kiss but Ajay’s energy had run dry but at least he’s had a taste. He reminds himself this when the commander draws back. His mouth quirks with the slightest hint of satisfaction, pleased with the outcome of Ajay’s compliance and acceptance of his affections. “Get some rest, brother.” Sabal urges, taking the hand that’s raised and guiding it back down to the bed. Ajay watches him with a smile playing on his lips, weary and dazed, now by both the bees’ stings and the commander’s lips. He can still feel their heat against his own, the way they fit so well against him.

 

“I suppose asking for a good night kiss wouldn’t be off the table?” He teases quietly, feeling those threads plucking at his mind once more. Sabal smiles gently, leaning down to brush his lips against Ajay’s forehead. It’s a teasing gesture, when he draws back there’s a knowing smile on the commander’s face that spreads another wave of heat throughout Ajay that’s not entirely unwelcome. He makes another stifled sound as he fights the pull of sleep before the careful fingers resume their slow rotations across the back of his palm. Sabal is the best medicine he’s found in this country, the balm that soothes even the worst of the fires inside him. He lets his eyes slip shut, an easy quiet drift that is guided by the commander’s fingers weaving through his own, a warm reminder that he’s not alone before he submerges himself into his dreams.


End file.
